Philosophy Skincare Guide: Purity, Microdelivery and What to Buy

Philosophy is a prestige skincare and fragrance brand founded in 1996 and owned by Coty since 2010. Its best buy is still its first product, Purity Made Simple, a gentle one-step cleanser at $29 for 8 oz. The Microdelivery exfoliating products and the Hope in a Jar moisturizers are fine, but many Philosophy formulas carry fragrance or scented essential oils, so read the label if your skin is sensitive.

Before buying, you can scan a bottle's barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori to check its ingredients against your skin type. Pori flags ingredients; it doesn't diagnose skin conditions.

This guide covers who owns Philosophy, what is in Purity, Microdelivery and Hope in a Jar, how to spot fragrance on its labels, and what to buy. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin. Prices are Ulta regular prices as of November 2026.

Who owns Philosophy skincare?

Coty owns Philosophy. Cristina Carlino founded the brand in 1996, launching it with a press event in New York, and Purity Made Simple was its first product. She sold the company to the Carlyle Group in 2007, in a deal estimated at $450 million. In late 2010, Coty bought it from Carlyle for about $1 billion.

In April 2023, Coty relaunched Philosophy around what it calls "dermatologic wisdom," a set of delivery techniques such as encapsulation and microdosing. The relaunch added a new serum line, Dose of Wisdom, and the brand earned Leaping Bunny cruelty-free approval. The "dermatologic wisdom" wording is marketing language. The ingredient lists are what tell you how a product will behave.

Philosophy also sells fragrances and scented shower gels, and scent carries over into much of its skincare.

Is Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser good?

Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser is the brand's original face wash. Philosophy says it cleanses and removes makeup in one step and is gentle enough for the eye area. Ulta lists it in 3, 8, 12 and 22 oz sizes, with the 8 oz at $29. It has a 4.6-star average from over 9,000 Ulta reviews, which is unusually strong for any cleanser.

The cleansing agents are sodium trideceth sulfate, sodium lauroamphoacetate and coco-glucoside, softened with meadowfoam seed oil and glycerin. Philosophy says it is formulated without parabens, phthalates, SLS and SLES, that it is ophthalmologist-tested, and that it suits all skin types including sensitive skin. Two details on the label are worth a closer look:

• It does contain a sulfate. Sodium trideceth sulfate is a milder relative of SLS. "SLS-free" is accurate; "sulfate-free" would not be. Our guide to sulfates in face wash explains the difference.
• It is scented with plant oils. The list includes rosewood, rose, pelargonium (geranium), clary sage, sandalwood and carrot seed among its botanical oils and extracts, plus a yellow dye. You won't see the word "fragrance," but those oils give the product its light scent.

For normal, combination and makeup-wearing skin, Purity is a good, gentle buy. If you react to essential oils or have very dry skin, a fragrance-free cream cleanser at about half the price does the same job. Some Ulta reviewers say it dries their skin.

The shelf above puts Purity next to two fragrance-free alternatives. You can read more about them in our CeraVe guide and our Toleriane Hydrating Cleanser review.

How do you spot fragrance on Philosophy labels?

Philosophy uses three kinds of scent ingredients, and only one of them says "fragrance."

1. Parfum or fragrance. The plain word. The Hope in a Jar Smooth-Glow moisturizer lists it.
2. Essential oils and aromatic extracts. Purity lists rosewood, rose, geranium, clary sage and sandalwood. These add scent without the word fragrance.
3. Fragrance components. Names like limonene, linalool and geraniol are scent molecules that some people are allergic to. The Microdelivery wash lists limonene along with orange peel extract and orange juice.

None of these is a problem for most people. If you have eczema, rosacea or a known fragrance allergy, though, any of the three can trigger a reaction. Our articles on fragrance and essential oils in skincare and how to read ingredient labels go deeper. Formulas also change, so check the box you are buying rather than an old review.

What does Philosophy Microdelivery do?

Microdelivery is Philosophy's exfoliation line. Two products are on Ulta now.

Microdelivery Exfoliating Daily Facial Wash

This is a gentle scrub: water, then diatomaceous earth (the "fine grain desert earth" in the marketing) as the physical exfoliant, with mild amino-acid and glucoside cleansers, panthenol, sunflower and borage seed oils, and orange peel extract. Ulta lists the 8 oz at $32, and Philosophy says it is gentle enough for daily use. It contains no plastic microbeads.

Some listings still describe this wash as containing vitamin C. The ingredient list Ulta shows now names no vitamin C ingredient, so don't buy it for vitamin C. For most people, a physical scrub two or three times a week is plenty, even if the label says daily. Our comparison of physical vs chemical exfoliants and our guide on how often to exfoliate can help you decide.

Microdelivery Resurfacing Solution

This is a leave-on toner with 4% AHAs (glycolic and lactic acid), a vitamin C derivative (3-O-ethyl ascorbic acid), niacinamide, centella, hyaluronic acid and peptides. Ulta lists 5 oz at $48. Philosophy says to sweep it on with a cotton round at night five times a week and to wear sunscreen while using it. It also lists alcohol and witch hazel water, which can sting on dry or sensitive skin. A 4% AHA is a gentle dose. If you want stronger, cheaper acids, see our Ordinary guide and exfoliating acids for beginners.

Is Renewed Hope in a Jar still worth buying?

Renewed Hope in a Jar launched in 2014 as part of the Hope in a Jar moisturizer family. The Hope in a Jar version Ulta sells now is the Smooth-Glow Multi-Tasking Moisturizer, at $52 for 2 oz, with an SPF 30 version also listed at $52 for 2 oz. At least one Ulta reviewer describes Smooth-Glow as the follow-up to Renewed Hope.

The Smooth-Glow cream is a silicone-rich moisturizer with glycerin, squalane, hyaluronic acid and a small amount of glycolic acid for surface smoothing. It also lists parfum, and reviewers often mention the scent. It is a pleasant daily cream for normal skin. At $26 an ounce, though, you are paying for texture and fragrance more than for actives. Fragrance-free creams with the same humectants cost a fraction of that; see our guide to types of moisturizers and the moisturizers catalogue.

What should you buy from Philosophy?

Our pick is Purity Made Simple. It has the best track record in the line and a gentle cleansing system. The rest of the range is fine but expensive for what it contains.

How much does Philosophy cost compared with drugstore brands?

Philosophy sits between drugstore and luxury. At Ulta list prices, Purity costs about $3.60 an ounce in the 8 oz size, the Microdelivery wash $4 an ounce, the Resurfacing Solution $9.60 an ounce and the Smooth-Glow moisturizer $26 an ounce. For comparison, CeraVe's fragrance-free Hydrating Facial Cleanser lists at $15.99 on cerave.com, a little over half of Purity's $29 bottle price. Ulta runs frequent sales on Philosophy, and the larger 12 and 22 oz Purity bottles bring the price per ounce down.

A simple Philosophy routine would be Purity morning and night, the Resurfacing Solution two to five nights a week, any moisturizer you like and a daily broad-spectrum sunscreen. Philosophy's own sunscreen moisturizer is the Smooth-Glow SPF 30. You don't need the whole line. Spending on the cleanser you enjoy and saving on moisturizer and SPF is a sensible split; our simple skincare routine guide shows how to keep it to three steps, and sunscreen for your skin type helps with the last one.

Is Philosophy good for sensitive or acne-prone skin?

Philosophy markets Purity for all skin types, including sensitive and acne-prone skin, and many people use it without trouble. The essential oils and fragrance across the line are the main risk for reactive skin. Patch test any new product for a few days, and add one product at a time. For acne-prone skin, Philosophy's cleansers don't contain a treatment ingredient; pair a gentle wash with a separate active, or see the best face wash for acne. If irritation or breakouts persist, see a dermatologist.